schneider



E. SCHNEIDER.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR USE WITH GUN BREECH BLOCKS COMPRISING REMOVABLE FIRING TUBE HOLDERS.

' APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27,, 1919. 1,336,096. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

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SAFETY MECHANISM FOR USE WiTH GUN BREECH BLOCKS COMPRISiNG REMOVABLE FIRING TUBE HOLDERS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27, 1919.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

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EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOB, TO SCHNEIDER 82; (3113., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR USE WITH GUN BREECI-LBLOCKS COMPRISING REMOVABLE FIRING-TUBE HOLDERS.

Original application filed August 21, 1918, Serial No. 250,869.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Divided and this application filed October 27, 1919. Serial No. 333,678.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Mechanism for Use with Gun Breech-Blocks Comprising Removable Firing-Tube Holders, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to breech mechanism for guns, and it has for its object to provide an improved safety apparatus which will prevent any operation of the firing mechanism, in guns provided with screw-threaded breech-blocks having a removable firing-tube holder, so long as the breech is open or only partially closed.

More specifically, it relates to certain mechanical expressions of the generic invention disclosed and claimed in my application Serial No. 250,869, filed August 21, 1918, of which this application is a division.

The improved safety apparatus, which is necessary for preventing premature firing due to the inertia of the firing pin when closing the breech, consists first in a device for preventing the insertion of the firingtube holder so long as the breech is only partially closed, and second in a device for preventing the firing hammer from coming into operation so long as the firing-tube holder is only partially inserted in the recess provided for'it in the breech-block. The improved safety apparatus thus renders it necessary first that the breech shall be completely closed before the firing-tube holder can be engaged in its recess, and second that the firing-tube holder shall be completely inserted in its recess in the breech-block before the firing hammer can engage the firing pin. v

The safety device for preventing the firing-tube holder from being inserted in position so long as the breech is only partially closed is shown as consisting of a bolt movably located in the breech-block holder and having one end which is caused to project by the breech-block in such a manner as to prevent the insertion of the firing-tube holder so long as the inner end of the said bolt has not been brought opposite a recess, formed in thebreech-block, by the complete rated by plain sectors.

movement of the breech-block screw into the breech-nut.

The safety device for preventing the operation of the firing hammer so long as the firing-tube holder is only partially inserted in its recess is shown as consisting of a notch formed in the front face of the firing-tube holder to which there corresponds a projection on the hammer whereby the notch in the one part will register with the projection on the other part only after the complete insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess, which registration is necessary before the head of the hammer can come in contact with the firing pin.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, two of which are shown on the accompanying drawings, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawin s are for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly in section, of breech mechanism comprising a known type of breech and breech-block, and illustrating one embodiment of this invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a vertical axial section showing the breech closed and the parts in firing position; v

Fig. 3 is a corresponding section showing the breech only partially closed and the safety apparatus in operative position;

Fig. e is a fragmentary vertical section through another embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a vertical axial section showing the breech closed and the parts in firing position; and

Fig. 6 is a corresponding section showing the breech only partially closed and the safety apparatus in operative position.

Referring to Fig. 1, the breech mechanism illustrated comprises a breeclrblock A having the usual screw-threaded sectors sepa- To the screw-threaded and plain sectors 'on the breech-block,

there correspond respectively screw-threaded sectors 72 and plain sectors 6? of the screw thread of the breech-nut B. The breechblock A is permanently connected to a breech-block holder C that is hinged to the nut B by a pin, and the breech-block is adapted to turn in its holder to enable it to be screwed into and out of the breech-nut.

The breech-block is operated by means of a lever E which, owing to the interposed stud e, imparts longitudinal motion to the rack I which is guided in the holder C. This rack engages, by means of its teeth f, a toothed sector a formed on the breechblock. By this means, movements imparted to the breech-block by the lever B effect the screwing or unscrewing of the breech-block screw into and out of the breech-nut. V hen unscrewed, the whole system consisting of the leve E, the holder C, the rack F and the breech block A, may be rotated to withdraw the breech-block from the breech.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, G is the removable firing-tube holder which may be of any suitable construction. In the embodiments shown, it is assumed that the firingtube holder G, together with its conbreech-block holder C, and under the action of a spring I that tends to force said bolt outward. The outward movement of the bolt is limited by a projection 0, carried by the breech-block holder, which engages in a slot 1'? in the sleeve.

lVhen the breech-block has been screwed home in the breech-nut, there is presented opposite the head of the bolt I a notch a into which the head of the bolt may move.

So long as the breech is only partially closed, the bolt I, not being opposite the notch a will occupy the position shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, the firing-tube holder G, provided. with a collar G ,'can not be screwed into its recess because the said collar strikes against the arm that connects the bolt I to its guide sleeve I As soon, however, as, owing to the complete closure of the breech, the bolt I is in front of the notch a it is possible to screw-in the firing-tube holder. During this movement, the pressure exerted by the collar G causes the bolt to enter its recess and the bolt comes then into the position shown in Fig. 2.

lVhen on the one handthe breech is completely closed, and on the other hand the firing-tube holder G is screwed home into the breech-block holder, the front face of the firing-tube holder G then presents, in

the path of the firing hammer J, a notch 9 into which a projection on said hammer can enter. 7 V V In. order to open the breech, it is first necessary to withdraw the firing-tube holder G. This previous withdrawal, which is obligatory by reason of the obstacle opposed by the bolt I to any unscrewing of the breech-block from the breech-nut, constitutes also to a certain extent a safety device against hanging fire. As a matter of fact since the breech remains necessarily closed during the time required for the withdrawal of the firing-tube holder, hanging fire may been withdrawn, the retraction of the bolt I,

by the spring 1 makes possible the unscrewing of the breech-block. 'Thereafter, so long as the notch a has not been brought opposite the inner end of the bolt, the unnotched portion of the breech-block maintains the said bolt-in the position which it occupies in Fig. 3 and the bolt constitutes an obstacle to the engagement of the firingtubeholder G in the breech-block holder C. In order to enable a firing-tube holder charged with a fresh firing tube to be inserted in position, it is therefore absolutely necessary that the breech-block be first screwed home into the breech-nut. On the other hand, the complete insertion of the firing-tube holder'G into its recess in the breech-block holder is absolutely necessary in order to allow the firing hammer J to strike the firing pin K, since, so long as the firing-tube holder G presents opposite the projection of the hammer any portion of its front face other than the notch 9 the hammer is prevented from coming into its oper-,

ative or striking position.

' In the form shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the notch a is formed in the front face of the breech-block A and the bolt proper I consists of a projection onthe guide sleeve I. The outward movement of the whole system I-I is limited by a plate C screwed to the breech-block holder C and serving as a stop for the bolt I. A hole is provided in the said plate for the passage of the sleeve I As in the preceding example, a previous withdrawal of the firing-tube holder is necessary in order to allow of opening the breech.

lVhile the embodiments illustrated on the drawings have been described with considerable particularity, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be'restricted thereto, as the same is capable ofreceiving a variety of mechanical expressions some oi which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, while certainparts thereof are capable of use without other parts thereof. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breechblock holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a horizontally-movable bolt adapted to project into the path of the firing-tube holder when the breech-block is not in its closed position.

2. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed positlon, said means COmp1'1S1Ilg.,iL spring-operated bolt adapted to be projected into the path of the firing-tube holder, and means whereby said bolt may be withdrawn when the breech-block is moved into its closed position.

8. In combination with a breech-bloclnits holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a spring-operated bolt adapted to project into the path of the firing-tube holder, a recess in the breech-block adapted to register with said bolt whenthe breech-block is in its closed be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a horizontallymovable bolt adapted to project into the path of the firing-tube holder, a recess in the breech-block adapted to register with said bolt when the breech-block is in its closed position, and an element on the firing-tube holder adapted to-engage said bolt in said last-named recess.

5. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of-the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a bolt adapted to project into the path of the firing-tube holder, a recess in the breech-block adapted to register with said bolt when the breechblock is in its closed position, and a spring adapted to move said bolt into the path of the firing-tube holder upon withdrawal of the latter.

6. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed posi tion, said means comprising a horizontallymovable bolt, a recess in the breech-block, and means on the firing-tube holder for en gaging said bolt in said last-named recess when the breech-block is in closed position.

7. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing-tube holder into its recess until the Y breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a horizontallymovable bolt, a guide sleeve for said bolt, a recess in the breech-block, a spring coacting with said sleeve and normally maintaining said bolt disengaged from said lastnamed recess, and means on the firing-tube holder for engaging said bolt with said lastnamed recess when the breech-block is in closed position. 7

8. In combination with a breech-block, its holder and a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, means to prevent insertion of the firing tube holder into its recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position, said means comprising a horizontallymovable bolt, a recess in the breech-block, a spring normally maintaining said bolt disengaged from said last-named recess, and means on the firing-tube holder for engaging said bolt with said last-named recess when the breech-block is in closed position.

9. In combination with a breech-block, its holder, a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in said breech-block holder, and a firing hammer, meansto prevent insertion of said firing-tube holder into said recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position and comprising a spring-operated bolt movable into the path of said firing-tube holder, and means to prevent the operation of said firing hammer prior to the complete insertion of said firing-tube holder into its recess.

10. In combination with a breech-block, its holder, a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in said breech-block holder, and a firing hammer, means to preventinsertion of said firing-tube holder into said recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position and comprising a horizontally-movable bolt movable into the path of said firing-tube holder, and means toprevent the operation of said firing hammer prior to the complete insertion of said firing-tube holder into its recess.

11. In combination with a breech-block, its holder, a firing-tube holder adapted to be positioned in a recess in the breech-block holder, and a firing hammer, means to prevent insertion of said firing-tube holder into said recess until the breech-block is moved into its closed position and comprising a spring-operated bolt movable into the path of said firing-tube holder, and means to prevent the operation of said firing hammer prior to the complete insertion of said firing-tube holder into its recess, said lastnamed means comprising a recess in one of said elements adapted to register with means on the other of said elements when said firing-tube holder is in operative position.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER. 

